They sat in the position they finished in for some time, kissing and hugging, and then separated to cultivate. A vortex of energies appeared around them, the same as last time, formed by two smaller vortices twirling and influencing each other.
As this time there was no Pure Yin Qi and his cultivation base was higher, it did not have as incredible an effect as last time, only allowing him to touch the bottleneck of the 7th level of Qi Gathering Realm. He will be able to break through only next time, as it was dangerous to attempt advancement without enough energy to support the attempt. He diverted the excess energy, which was not enough to cultivate through the bottleneck but still quite potent, through Chaos Refining Body Tempering Art to the Golden Yang Dragon Body.
She also only felt a rise in cultivation within the level without advancing, but this time the Yang Qi was more abundant as he released enough for her to cultivate on purpose, so she still had a slight increase in the cultivation.
As they finished cultivating, they went to wash up and to the bed like last time, only this time, she made sure to light up the lantern in the bathroom and choose a solid color gown, much to his regret.
Her body is capable of enduring more pleasure, but he did not push her to exhaustion. She was only getting used to dual cultivation, and such strains were not what she could handle yet. Besides, he wanted her to benefit from their cultivation as well, so he left her enough energy to cultivate after their passionate act.
He made her run away red as a tomato in the morning once more, as he recounted how greatly moved he was by her gesture. As she recalled what she did, she made squirming sounds in the bathroom while sitting on the floor and covering her head which was only a bit away from steaming.
As they were training later, Ye Ling made yet another breakthrough in her Sword Dao. Her realm of sword comprehension rose tremendously all this time. Such speed of progress was astonishing.
She happily hugged Wu Long with excitement but blushed after, and went to consolidate her new understanding.
Hua Ziyan seemed to still be struggling with her indecision, so Wu Long did not push her, instead diligently guiding her in her training. He was also interested to see her changes in demeanor, manners, and tone. It felt as if she was transforming right in front of his eyes.
As Wu Long was instructing her, he received a message from Yu Huan, saying that she has questions for him regarding the scroll he gave her last time.
Wu Long went to the alchemist and spearwoman’s house after finishing the lesson with Hua Ziyan.
Yu Huan met him with a slightly guilty expression at the gate and invited him in, where he noticed Bi Rui standing timidly in the courtyard.
“I…to be honest I have not yet comprehended the scroll…it was just that sister Rui wanted to talk to you about teaching her the spear and I…” Yu Huan began explaining, obviously flustered as she really wanted to help her best friend who was as close as a sister to her, but she also did not want to offend Wu Long.
He merely smiled.
“I was wondering how your comprehension flew up so high suddenly that you comprehended the scroll I thought would take you a couple of weeks at least in just a matter of a couple of days, so that’s what it was, no worries, it is alright”
He replied, relieving both of them with his words and expression. There was no annoyance or any sign of being offended on his face or in his tone.
As Yu Huan’s worries were now dealt with she quickly retreated to her room, as she rarely left it these days, absorbed in her learning. She was impatient to return to her room and learn since the moment she stepped out of it earlier.
Bi Rui stood in the courtyard, with a timid expression. Although she was relieved that her friend did not get in trouble because of her selfish request, she was also shy about asking him.
“I… I improved greatly with the spear thanks to you, and… if it is possible I would like to learn more… if it is not bothersome to you of course” she said, as she looked at him.
Although there was shyness in her demeanor, there was also determination in her eyes. He looked at her with some appreciation as not everyone could be as honest and straightforward with their desires. Hua Ziyan being a prime example.
“Not a problem, I have time on my hands anyway, I still have a couple of weeks in the capital” he replied, making her overjoyed.
He started teaching her a little more earnestly this time since it was not just passing time while waiting for Yu Huan but her deliberate request.
Two days passed since he started teaching her, and he was now coaching three beauties every day, giving each of them about a couple of hours of lessons. Sui Luxiao was getting ready for a divorce from her husband, and there was a lot to prepare since there was joint property as well as children, so it took some time.
On this day, Bi Rui was sitting on the porch, recovering after the training.
“By the way, I was meaning to ask, why are you pretending to be an experienced older sister in front of Yu Huan?” Wu Long suddenly said as he was genuinely curious.
She froze, and then slowly turned to look at him.
“Haaa~, so you knew after all”, she said with a heavy sigh. Since he never mentioned it, she started to hope that she was mistaken and he actually did not notice. Alas, her hopes shattered without much suspense.
“Hehe, you might have been able to fool that innocent girl, but it’s not so easy to fool my eyes” he chuckled at her naivete.
“Haaa~” Bi Rui merely sighed ruefully again.
She then was silent for some time, gathering her thoughts.
“You don’t have to tell me if you do not want to, though. I am just curious” he added, not giving her too much pressure as he really did not care that much, just some slight amusement and curiosity. He was entertained each time he witnessed her act, but as he had his fun with it, he gradually got used to it, so he decided to finally ask.
“… it all started a little while after we both came to the city… we were both fresh from the countryside, so there were a lot of new things around and we were excited. Huan’er entered the Alchemy Tower as she dreamed and I entered the Imperial Army…
When we were leaving our small town I told her that I am going to become a femme fatale, and all men of the capital would be wrapped around my fingers. I didn’t really have that ambition, it was just a little comment expressing my hopes for a new and exciting life… but… after I got to the city, I realized how different my expectations of my life here were from reality. I did not get to be an Imperial Guard Captain as I thought I would immediately become… and I was at the bottom of the social ladder.”
She started narrating her story after a moment of silence, as her eyes seemed to look into a distant past. There was a nostalgic smile on her lips, seemingly laughing at how naive she was. She was not afraid of Yu Huan overhearing them since she rarely came out of her room these days.
“I was a woman and a low-level soldier, so I got assigned to guarding young masters and such trivial missions. There were quite a lot that wanted to take advantage but none of them were sincere or had good personalities, though quite good-looking…
So… when Huan’er once saw me on an escort mission to protect a random person, who was a handsome young man, and mistook it for him trying to court me sincerely… I… I don’t know what came over me… maybe it tickled my vanity a bit, or I just liked the look of admiration in her eyes…
She knew that I was a sucker for pretty faces…”
Bi Rui blushed a bit, as speaking about handsome men she could not help looking at Wu Long, who merely smiled back at her. She was always fascinated with men with handsome features, though those young masters eventually managed to destroy that advantage with their repulsive attitudes, and those who did not repulse her did not view her as a target for flirting.
“She saw me the next week with another escort target and was flabbergasted, so I told her that I got tired of the last one… and then another one… and it seemed to become a runaway joke… I also had my fun teasing her and acting all mature and eventually it turned into a part of my personality, and I behave like that naturally now without even thinking about it…
I never actually thought of the day I would get exposed since Huan’er doesn’t interact with outsiders that much… until you came around”
She finished her story with a wry smile.
“I tried to muster up the courage to tell her multiple times, but I could not get rid of the fear of seeing the look of disappointment in her eyes, I know it all sounds stupid to you” she added a bit embarrassed.
“Hmm, it was an interesting story, and not at all stupid” he shook his head. He was interested in her thought process and why she could corner herself so perfectly despite knowing that she was doing it. Wu Long’s recent fascination with people’s reasoning, choices, and lives spread to her too.
“Thank you for saying that”, she said with a rueful smile as she thought he was just comforting her.
“Though if you really are that troubled by it, I can make your act a reality”, he said lightly with a charming smile. Occasionally teasing beauties was one of his vices after all, though it was also what got him into a lot of trouble in the past.
She looked at him with round eyes, as he chuckled and got up to leave since their training for the day was done.
“…Can…can you really?”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, freezing his movements.
He turned around to see her shy and nervous, but somehow expectant eyes.
‘Huh, it seems I played around too far’ he thought as he inwardly chuckled.
Though he could see her fascination with him, it was only at his appearance and then at his skill in the spear. She never really held any thoughts of approaching him, and he treated her just as an amusing girl. Besides, despite all his experience, he did not expect her to take him up on this joking offer.
The decision-making mortals made was completely alien to him now, so he still had trouble adjusting. He also was fascinated by it. He never expected these trivial emotions of being an imposter would make her take such drastic measures.
But he was also intrigued.
“Hmm, if you really ask me, I will not refuse. But are you really going to do it? Think carefully, as this is not a simple decision” he replied after making a pondering gesture for a bit.
She gulped, and then nodded, with a determined look, dumbfounding him with how quick and fleeting she made that important decision. Making life-changing decisions on the spot was the prerogative of mortals since immortals looked at everything with much more care and deliberation, as they knew just how long they could be regretting a certain decision they made. Of course, that was a more general description, as there were exceptions to everything.
He was silent for a moment, looking at her intently, and after seeing that she was indeed serious, and was not faltering he nodded.
“Lead the way” he simply said.
Hearing his words, Bi Rui gulped as her throat was slightly dried from nervousness. But she got up, a bit in a daze, and went in the direction of her room.
They entered the room, taking off their shoes. He washed his hands and removed his spatial ring in the bathroom adjacent to her room. This small courtyard house was in a “C” shape, with their two personal areas being connected by the living room, kitchen, and a couple of general-purpose rooms, so they both had a bedroom, bathroom, and a study to themsleves. The small courtyard was in the middle.
He went out of the bathroom and approached her.
“You won’t regret it?” he asked for the last time.
She nodded, with a determined expression.
“But… I just trained so I want to wash up first” she hastily added.
“I don’t mind it but if you are more comfortable that way you may” he replied, as he sat on the sitting mat. He really did not mind, but also mainly prioritized the comfort of his partners.
She nodded and went to the bathroom, closing the door. Soon, the sounds of clothes being taken off and then gentle sounds of water could be heard, tingling the ears as there was something exciting in them because they were made by a beautiful woman.